Professional Lighting & Production - Winter 2017 - Page 21

session,” he explains. “I have this library organized so we can find not just spe-
cific images, but can also search by more abstract terms. For instance, LeRoy
might mention that he’s looking for something ‘cube like,’ so I can search the
database for any images that fit that category. These images don’t necessarily
get translated into the actual design so much as they become the seed of an
idea which morphs into something new and exciting.”
Aquinde finds his work with Bennett extremely rewarding. “My background
is in architecture and I’m also a huge sci-fi geek,” he remarks, “Growing up, I was
always designing and drawing stuff like space ships and futuristic worlds. The
stuff I draw now actually gets built and comes alive – often creating these mag-
ic moments which people talk about for months, if not years, to come.”
Aquinde does his initial drawing and modelling work in Vectorworks
before using Foundry Modo for cleanup and then exporting to Lightwave 3D.
“I render in Lightwave 3D, which is a bit obsolete, but I know its quirks very
well,” he explains. “I’m still learning my way around Modo but will probably
move over to it soon. The renderings look as dry as any ‘raw’ 3D rendering, so
I do compositing and effects in Blackmagic Design Fusion with a lot
of plug-ins from the film and TV industry. This is where the
renderings really come alive. There’s often also a bit
of Adobe Photoshop, After Effects, and Illustra-
tor involved in prepping elements.”
As one might imagine, a show this
massive requires a sizeable lighting
rig to keep Gaga and her backup
dancers lit no matter where
they travel. Bennett and his
lighting director, Harry For-
ster, rely on two workhorses
– Robe BMFL WashBeams
and Robe Pointes – to
cover all the bases. The
BMFLs are generally used
for big, bright washes that
can pull the performers
out of the background
– no easy task given the
size and brightness of the
many LED video surfaces
used. The Pointes provide
beam and breakup looks,
their fast movement speeds
being a real plus on Gaga’s more
upbeat songs. One more Robe
fixture being used on this show is the
ColorStrobe. Four of them are spaced
along each side of the main stage where
they illuminate both the performers and the
underside of the lifts when they’re elevated.
Forster met Bennett for the first time about four
or five years ago while he was working as a freelance tech in
London, England. “I was hired to program and operate extra TV lighting for a
Beyoncé special that LeRoy was lighting,” remarks Forster. “We hit it off right
away and from that point on I’ve been working exclusively with him on tours
for Nine Inch Nails, Beyoncé, Bruno Mars, and Keith Urban.”
Like Aquinde, Forster is also involved fairly early in the design process.
“Roy will come to me with broad ideas of what he wants to use and where he
wants to use it and then I’ll add in my stuff and work with Tait to make sure it’s
all going to fit,” explains Forster. “Once the design was nailed down, we locked
in our vendor, Solotech, who ended up purchasing quite a bit of the rig new
to fulfill our needs.”
By June, Forster had built a 3D model of the rig and they began their pre-
vis programming session – something that usually lasts a couple weeks but, in
this case, got extended until mid-July because the set was behind schedule.
“During our programming sessions, there were actually three of us working on
three separate consoles,” says Forster, “Jason Baeri and I would work on building
presets and palettes and then split to program lights for different songs while
Loren Barton worked on programming the video. We would then merge files
at the end of the day.”
Once the tour was up and running, Forster discovered that one of the
biggest challenges was making sure he could get good followspot coverage
throughout the arena. “As we adjusted the positions of the satellite stages and
the trim heights of the pods, it was crucial that we check all spot positions to
make sure Gaga was always lit as she traversed the bridges out to the B stage,”
he remarks.
When asked if he has a favourite moment in the show, Forster mentions
the “Red Section,” which occurs towards the end. “We get pretty dark and
moody during this section and everything from the lighting to the costumes
and video content has red in it; it’s very dramatic.”
Keeping all the elements of this tour running smoothly is Production Manager
Bob “Hydro” Mullin, a former Marine who has worked his way up from local
hand to carpenter to stage manager to his present position. “I’m
brought in a few months before rehearsals begin to man-
age the design in respect to the amount of trucks,
overall weight of the show, and how the design
will work logistically as far as getting it in
and out of the building in a timely, cost
efficient manner,” says Mullin. “Budget
is very important – not only the cost
of the show but the day-to-day
operating costs.”
“The biggest challenge
initially was getting the actual
show built and cueing all
the automation. Getting all
the right crew in the right
positions. Day to day is just
scheduling enough time to
pre-rig and get the show in.
With all the sporting events
and other events in the build-
ings, it can be a bit challeng-
ing to get in the day before.
As this show grew in size from
conception to final design, it re-
quired more hours to get it done.
Fortunately, we have an excellent
crew that works well together for long
hours to get the job done.”
Even with all the planning that goes
into putting the Joanne Tour on the road,
surprises still occur. “With a show this size, you
have to be as flexible as possible to get what you
need for the actual show while maintaining the egress and
best sight lines for the audience,” Mullin remarks. “Also, with 13 buses
and 29 trucks, parking and staging trucks for the in and out can be difficult
in some places.”
The Joanne World Tour premiered on Aug. 1 st , 2017 at the Rogers Arena in
Vancouver and is scheduled to head to Europe in early 2018 after finishing up
its North American leg just before Christmas. Critical response to the tour has
been overwhelmingly positive, with critics throwing around words like “ambi-
tious,” “barnburner,” and “jubilant.” The fans have also responded very positively
and many shows have sold out, so don’t be too surprised if this tour keeps
rolling beyond its scheduled conclusion in Berlin next February.
Brad Trenaman is a Vancouver-based Lighting Designer. He can be reached at
bradtrenaman@gmail.com.
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